


The Rise and Fall of Darth Exo-CBX a.k.a. Joshua's Artwork Made Me Do This

by aooosauce, priesevermore



Category: EXO (Band), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:26:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26440363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aooosauce/pseuds/aooosauce, https://archiveofourown.org/users/priesevermore/pseuds/priesevermore
Summary: This is an alternate universe some friends and I came up with. The boys from Exo are in the Star Wars universe. This takes place a little after Order 66 and follows the path of Exo-CBX as they flirt with and maybe even fall to the Dark Side. Will the rest of Exo be able to help these three find their way back from the darkness?
Comments: 5
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Saucyroses Twitter](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/683569) by Saucyroses. 



> This story wouldn't exist without Joshua's amazing artwork for the Exo-CBX guys as Sith. So thank you first and foremost for that Joshua. Also huge thanks to both Joshua and Emma for helping me talk out where this story is heading. Without either of them this story would still just be a bunch of random ideas floating in my brain. So I tried to keep it as cannon friendly as I could, but it is an alternate universe so if cannon friendly is a must for you this story probably isn't for you. Hope you guys enjoy it! Also please enjoy the artwork that inspired it. You can find the artwork at https://www.instagram.com/saucyroses/ or https://twitter.com/saucyroses Thank you again to Joshua for the amazing art that inspired me and Emma for all the ideas to help flesh out the guys.

Chen watched the steady flow of traffic from his balcony. Coruscant was never quiet, but tonight it seemed worse. His thoughts seemed as busy and frenetic as the sounds of speeders zooming by. It didn't used to be this way. Once he and the others had known the peace of the Jedi Temple. As if his memories were controlling him his eyes immediately went to the ruins where the temple had once stood. It shone brightly against the skyline. What had once been a bastion of peace and serenity was now the bustling heart of the Empire. Baekhyun and Xiumin both still stayed there, in their own rooms no less. As if nothing had changed, as if what was their life hadn't been ripped from them all. 

He tried to turn his thoughts from the past as he turned and faced the sparse and bleak room he called his these days. It did no good to dwell on things that could not be changed. Chen checked the time as he grabbed the dark brown almost black robe he wore. He still couldn't bring himself to wear the full black, but no one seemed to complain about this shade. It was almost time to meet with the others. After everything that had happened, even if he felt this was the wrong path to be on, Chen could not abandon the others. They had all lost so much, losing each other would be their doom. 

He didn't know how he was so certain of that. His connection to the Force just wasn't what it had been. Xiumin and Baekhyun's powers had seemed to not be changed that much. Though they both seemed to be developing abilities they hadn't had before. For Chen he could feel his connection to the light side fading, but nothing seemed to be taking its place as it was for the others. Both kept telling him he'd find his place in this new society soon. That now there was no one watching everything they did all the time. They were free to live the lives they had once talked about, lives that didn't involve the Jedi controlling them. 

Chen couldn't tell them that it didn't feel that way to him. Each mission, each time the Emperor called for them, he could feel his connection to the force change and warp more. In this time where they had lost everything that had made them who they were, he felt lost. He sometimes wondered if Baek or Min had actually thought about what and all they were doing these days. All the little actions they took that seemed to add to the oppression of those around them. Not just on Coruscant, but throughout the inner and outer galaxies. There was no way Baek didn't know what was going on, but Min always had his head on learning some new technique so he might not have noticed yet. Even before the fall of the Jedi, Min had always been that way, one to focus on learning new things, of finding ways to be better. Chen was concerned about Baek the most though. He had seemed to embrace this new 'freedom' but wasn't looking at the bigger picture anymore. Chen just wasn't sure what path was right anymore. 

Had Anakin been right, had the Jedi lost their way and the Empire was a better force in the galaxy? Chen wasn't sure anymore, it had made so much sense at the time, but then the time had been chaotic to say the least. Add to that, Skywalker was now going around as Darth Vader, and it all left a bad taste in Chen's mouth. He could hear the echo of his former master's voice in his head at that thought. 'Jongdae when you feel this way, the force is trying to show you where you should be,' that would have been what Master Vos would have said to this. Baek would have rolled his eyes at that, but Chen was really beginning to think that it was true. This was not where he was supposed to be, but it's where the only two people he truly trusted in the universe were. As he walked through the bustling plazas between him and the palace his thoughts continued to roam over the past, like he could find the answers to his worries there. 

Baekhyun's steps echoed lightly through the much quieter halls of what used to be the padawan sleeping quarters. He had taken Skywalker up on the invitation for a better room, but Xiumin had been content to stay in his old room. Baek felt a smile tug his lips at that memory, “but I already know where everything is here.” That had been Xiu's reply to queries about changing rooms. Chen still refused to join them here, preferring a utilitarian apartment in one of the poorer districts of the city. Baek knew that Chen was worried about where they were currently in life, but Baek felt free for the first time he could remember. There were no masters to remind him to always be in control. It wasn't his fault the force was that strong within him. He had to concentrate so hard to not use it, that it was truly liberating to no longer have someone nagging him about it anymore. He did miss Master Vos and the rest of the order, but as long as Xiu and Chen were with him, it didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. 

Chen seemed most concerned with Skywalker's new name and the suit. Well Baek couldn't deny the suit was a bit much, but he understood having to change to Vader and not letting the Empire at large know that Skywalker and Vader were the same person. Clean break with the fallen Republic and all. Baek really wished Chen would just relax a bit more. He reminded Baek of their old master, and that wasn't a comfortable feeling. Skywalker had a point about how the Jedi had lost their way, how there were too many secrets. Also the new avenues for learning were endless and that seemed to keep Xiu happy. In fact Baekhyun could hear Xiumin humming as he approached the doorway. Xiu always hummed when he was deep into studying something, but it was nearly time to meet Chen, and if they didn't hurry they would be late. Baekhyun wasn't in the mood to rush through the Coruscant crowds today. The smile faded as he rounded the door frame and saw Xiumin deep in some tome that Palpatine, Emperor, Baekhyun corrected in his thoughts, had mentioned a few days ago. He didn't have time for this, he could feel the force rise within him as his annoyance did. With hardly more than a passing thought he prodded Xiu to put the book away. 

“It's almost time to go, Xiumin. Knowing Chen he'll be early, but I don't want to have to run through these crowds. People panic so easily these days. I wish they would realize that the worst is over and they can just enjoy their lives now.” The familiar complaint was one that Xiumin had heard from Baekhyun many times at this point. He put the book up with a sigh and stood grabbing a jacket that would allow them to blend more with the normal Coruscant citizens. Skywalker, Vader, whatever he called himself these days had stressed the need to let the common rabble think that there were no more force users left. Xiumin didn't really care either way, Baekhyun had promised that they were doing the right thing. Just look at all the knowledge the Jedi had kept from them, that he was now able to delve to his heart's content. Like Baekhyun, he wasn't unaware of Chen's doubts, but Chen had always been like that. He had been the mother hen of the three of them. Always the one to try and stop their antics but standing by them still even when it all ended in tears. Though usually it was tears of laughter. 

Xiumin wondered about that these days. There used to be so much laughter between the three of them, and that seemed sorely lacking these days. He missed the days when they all lived here in the dorms and trained under Master Vos. Baek talked about the freedom they had now, and he had to admit that was true. Here he was studying texts that no Jedi padawan had ever known existed let alone would have gotten the chance to study. At the same time though, something just felt off these days. Maybe he was spending too much time studying. Baek had been after him for weeks to take a mission, maybe it was time. Maybe all he really needed was a change of scenery, change of pace. Xiumin listened to his friend's smooth voice ramble through minor annoyances and the daily banter of their new life. 

Baekhyun kept his eyes in the distance as the pair wove into and out of the pedestrians on their way to the Senate Plaza to meet Chen. He felt a nagging fear begin to resurface. When it had first been discovered that he had such a natural talent at Jedi Mind Trick he would wonder who around him was genuine. Who was there because they wished to be, and who had he influenced. When he began to learn control under Vos, and made friends with the other two padawans those fears had lessened, for a time it seemed. Now those fears were returning and it was becoming more than just a slight nagging feeling at the back of his mind. However there no longer was anyone he could trust with those fears. He knew he had been using his abilities on Xiu, and as much as he still trusted Xiu this was different. Could he even be sure Chen was still here because Chen had chosen to stay. Baek couldn't remember ever pushing that thought at Chen, but would he? Sometimes he didn't even realize he had done anything. Vos' look of disappointment flashed through his mind for a moment, before he shook his head. As if doing so would banish the thoughts nagging him. Skywalker had told him such things would happen, but he should never doubt the path he had chosen. The Jedi had been wrong in trying to contain him, trying to make him scared of his own powers. The more he used his abilities the more ordered life would be around him, making all those around him happier by extension. Shoving his doubts back he turned and caught a glimmer of purplish black across the square and the familiar force presence confirmed it was Chen. 

Chen felt his friends' approach before he saw them. He watched as they made their way across the square and found he was not surprised at the slight difference in Baekhyun's eyes. Chen had noticed it the last time, maybe Minseok didn't because he saw Baekhyun everyday, but Chen could see the brown becoming lighter. The iris beginning to take on an almost yellowish hue. The reservations he held about the choices they had made just seemed to loom even larger in his mind now. Did the other two ever have these thoughts. The Jedi were gone now, so was the Republic. Skywalker and Baekhyun had a point that continuing to live was preferable to the alternatives, but was it the right thing to serve the Empire? None of them had really stopped to think that through. For Chen he didn't really care about the Empire. If he was honest he probably would have admitted he hated it here. Yet at the same time how could he leave Minseok and Baekhyun. They had been through too much together, lost too much together to walk away. Chen felt a sigh escape him as he tried to smile at the pair approaching him. 

From the way that Baekhyun was fidgeting as they approached Chen would guess that Baek had good news to deliver, or at least what Baek thought was good news these days. It used to be Baekhyun only got that way when he had another grand idea. Those ideas usually being a prank or adventure of some kind. Now that fidget seemed to come with another challenge instead of adventure. They didn't really just have fun anymore. Everything had a point, was a mission or research for a mission. Well not always, but Baek had a way of bringing the conversations back to things Palpatine wanted, Chen refused to call him Emperor. Though Baek always presented it as being from Skywalker, Chen thought he had a pretty good idea who was actually pulling all the strings. He also knew his friends, no, at this point they were more like his brothers, too well. Neither was at a point where they would listen to his concerns. Minseok was too infatuated with all the new knowledge that was being handed to him, and Baek, Chen sighed harder. Baekhyun was too caught up in the illusion of freedom he thought he now had. 

“Chen, you made it!” Xiumin's voice called him from his thoughts.

“Yeah, you know me. Can't trust you guys not to blow up the main fountain when no one is looking,” he said with a sad, half smile. Memories of happier times playing through his thoughts. 

“Oh that was nothing, though Vos really did overreact to that one,” Baek's laugh at the shared memory bringing back a ghost of those happier times. 

As the three share a chuckle at the shared memory the crowds pass them by. To the casual observer these are just three good friends meeting for lunch or maybe to take in one of the many shows on offer in the capital. From the shadows of an alleyway someone watches them, though. Someone who can see them for who and what they are and were. Never did he think he would see these three again. The signs of them no longer being Jedi were bright to his eyes, and so instead of calling out to his old comrades, he turned and headed deeper into the alley.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story wouldn't exist without Joshua's amazing artwork for the Exo-CBX guys as Sith. So thank you first and foremost for that Joshua. Also huge thanks to both Joshua and Emma for helping me talk out where this story is heading. Without either of them this story would still just be a bunch of random ideas floating in my brain. So I tried to keep it as cannon friendly as I could, but it is an alternate universe so if cannon friendly is a must for you this story probably isn't for you. Hope you guys enjoy it! Also please enjoy the artwork that inspired it. You can find the artwork at https://www.instagram.com/saucyroses/ or https://twitter.com/saucyroses Thank you again to Joshua for the amazing art that inspired me and Emma for all the ideas to help flesh out the guys.

Chen could feel the silence in the cabin of the spacecraft. No matter how much he tried not to, he couldn't stop staring at his hands, these hands that had learned to heal. He could remember when the Jedi had taught him how to do that, and now, now these hands had. Oh how Master Vos would be disappointed in them all for this day's work. How had they all gotten so lost? It was supposed to be a simple recon mission. Make contact, get the info and get out again. How could he have done that? There were so many other ways that the situation could have been resolved. Why, why had he used that one instinctively? The past events of the last day played through Chen's mind as he tried to find the answer.

  
  


It had all started that day on Coruscant, when Baek had been so excited. Maybe it was because they were all three going on this mission. Usually Minseok was too busy or too obsessed with the new text he was reading to be bothered going on a mission. Baekhyun knew that it was just a simple mission, but it had been so long since the three of them had worked together like this. Also the emperor had told him that this mission might bring something he wanted closer to reality. Chen was still clinging to the old way of life, the old rules of conduct. He needed to let go of that to truly embrace the powers they all now had access to. The force had given Palpatine a vision that this mission may be the tipping point for Chen, and Baekhyun could feel the anticipation rising within him. He wasn't ignoring the concerns of his friends, he too wished for things to be as they were before. Baekhyun hoped that this mission would bring back the closeness they had all shared before the fall of the Republic and the Jedi. He couldn't be the only one who missed the laughter of those days. Chen's inability to accept how their lives had changed was the most obvious block to things being how they used to be between the three. The temptation to prod Chen's mind into accepting their new reality flashed through his thoughts once again before he could push it away. The temptation was real, but Baekhyun didn't want his fears to have any more fuel. If he tricked Chen's mind, he would never again be sure if they were all still together because they wanted to be. Those fears were already growing from how often he couldn't stop himself from influencing Xiumin. His mind roiled with turmoil as these thoughts plagued him, not the best way to start a mission.

  
  


They had landed at a broken down, shabby spaceport on the outskirts of the only signs of habitation on this backwater planet. With hardly a thought Xiumin disappeared into the shadows, pulling the Force around him like a cloak. He disappeared from not only the Force but almost from sight as he moved silently through the deep shadows. The three made their separate ways to where the contact was waiting. Baekhyun would slip in as an entertainer to keep an eye on the surroundings while Chen met with the contact. It was all supposed to be so simple. It wasn't supposed to turn into what it did.

  
  


Chen passed through the nearly deserted store front to the back door that would lead him to the true goal. Hidden behind this facade was an illegal casino. Chen's clothing allowed him to pass freely through the crowds of gamblers and gawkers. The subtle air of a man who had no time to waste opened a slight pathway as he walked to the table he had been directed to. He wasn't as good at deception as Baekhyun was, but he could get the job done. Chen thought on that for a minute, had Baekhyun always been this good at deceiving others? He hadn't thought so when they had been padawans together. Was this the influence of Palpatine and Vader on his friend now? As he approached the table, Chen concentrated on his task. He could feel Baekhyun's presence in the Force. His eyes glanced around the area where he had felt Baekhyun to be and saw the now familiar mop of red hair taking to the stage.

Chen tried to project a relaxed air as he waited for their contact to join them. The plan was for them to arrive first at a reserved table and the informant would join after. Chen hadn't quite caught why the set up was so strange. He had been too distracted by his growing fears over both Baekhyun and Xiumin. Neither seemed the people he had learned and bonded with. He knew that people changed as they grew, but his friends seemed less like his friends these days. He couldn't quite put a word to the feeling, but especially with Xiumin he seemed less independent these days. Chen really wished he could talk to Xiumin away from Baekhyun, but there never seemed to be a good time. Was that Baekhyun's doing? Was the red head trying to keep Chen from being able to talk to Xiumin, and if so, why? What was Baekhyun afraid of? Chen began to realize that recently he thought of both of them less as Minseok and Baek and more and more as Xiumin and Baekhyun. Something felt off about that to him, as if they were all losing pieces of themselves.

  
  


A clean cut humanoid approached the reserved table where Chen was sitting. His presence in the Force was only as bright as the others around him. As the figure slid into the seat opposite him, Chen realized they were of the same height. He evaluated the new comer at the table, from his close cut dark hair to his equally dark eyes. The face was round, almost babyish but with an air of weariness to it. The dark clothing he was wearing seemed to blend into the surroundings and left Chen with no real impression of what the person across from him was actually built like.

  
  


“Dantooine's been having such severe storms recently.” The soft voice barely registered over the music and sounds of conversation surrounding them. However Chen recognized the code phrase and nodded at the contact.

  
  


“Yes, it is such a pity. The harvests have begun to be affected,” Chen's own voice was not much louder than the others. As they both nodded in recognition of each other's codes the tension seemed to relax in both of them.

  
  


“So you would be Chen, yes?” The contact queried anxiously, making Chen's brow rise just slightly. How could this person know his name? Not just any name either, the new one. Chen reached out through the Force for any sense that something was off about the being across from him. Just because they had the correct phrase he had almost dropped his guard. A stupid thing to do really, but hopefully not fatally stupid.

  
  


“That maybe, and you would be?” Chen's wary tone brought a tinge of concern to the eyes of the one he was watching. He could see the other's breathing speed up ever so slightly.

  
  


“Called D.O. by most these days,” came the quick retort, “and of course I know who I'm meeting. Do you think I'm that stupid?” D.O.'s tone became slightly dismissive of Chen's attitude.

  
  


Chen relaxed slightly again at the other's explanation. “Of course, I just wish I could have returned the favor is all.” The smooth calm filtering into his voice as Baekhyun's own voice seemed to add to the air of calm with his singing. The whole gambling den seemed to be going from it's usual chaotic atmosphere to a more subdued tone as the notes of the Force user on stage flowed through the space. The plan called for the seated pair to converse for a while before the transfer of the datapad with the info the three had been sent to retrieve. So Chen nodded to a passing waiter to bring them drinks as they talked.

  
  


Baekhyun's eyes seemed glued on the table where Chen sat. Something felt off about the being sitting opposite his friend and brother. He put it down to nerves. This was the first time since they had lost their master and old lives that the three of them were together on a mission. That was probably why he felt so paranoid about the situation. Xiumin seemed to be doing his job well, as Baekhyun couldn't feel him anywhere near the area, nor see him. Though Xiumin was here, he knew it. The shadowy force user could hide like no one else, but he wouldn't leave his friends in such a situation by themselves. Baekhyun realized as his voice followed the well known melody from it's highs to lows, that he didn't trust either the Emperor or Skywalker nearly as much as his friends thought. However their options were limited in this day and age as force users. If they tried to break from the Empire, they would probably not survive the attempt. From the corner of his eye, Baekhyun saw something that drew his attention away from watching over Chen.

  
  


Near the entrance a humanoid similar in appearance to the one across from Chen stood seemingly dumbfounded. Baekhyun saw the being begin to reach for a hidden blaster as he approached the table where the two were conversing. Baekhyun fought the urge to call out to his friend, not wanting to escalate the situation. He trusted Chen would have his wits about him enough to sense the incoming danger. As his emotions began to grow unstable the feeling within their area began to shift into a more pensive tense air. His mellow tone never changed, even as his fear began to infect those within his voice's range.

  
  


Chen felt a brush of malicious intent enter his area. It seemed to be coming from behind him and was getting closer. Yet the source of it seemed to be focused not on him, but on the person across from him. Chen's brow raised again as he glanced over his shoulder. The being approaching the table looked very similar in height and general looks to pass for the humanoid across from him at a distance. He could see a held out blaster now held expertly in the hand of who Chen was beginning to suspect was his actual contact. If that was the case who was sitting across from him, and why had they inserted themselves into this meeting? He felt fear begin to try and take control of his actions, but Chen pushed it aside to think logically. One of the two men near him was an imposter and given how the one calling themselves D.O. looked, Chen would guess it was him.

  
  


D.O. felt his anxiety ratchet up a notch or two as what he assumed was the actual contact began to approach them with a weapon in his hand. Things were getting out of hand, Lay was supposed to have waylaid the original agent that was supposed to be at this meeting. Judging from the rapidly darkening bruise swelling on the other man's forehead, Lay was successful to a point. D.O. felt a sigh leave him at this complication and took in the surroundings trying to find a quick way out of this situation. In the brief moment that his eyes had flicked away from his potential attacker the irate man fired his blaster, barely missing D.O.'s head.

  
  


Baekhyun felt fear strike him like a shock as the sound of the blaster firing filled the rather quiet room. He hadn't noticed the other patrons of the establishment growing quieter and quieter until they had no reaction to the shot that had just been fired. As he began to lose focus on his emotions the club erupted into screams as if all the people within had been held by a spell that had finally broken.

  
  


Chen ducked back away from the table, knocking the chair over in the process. He realized in that moment that Baekhyun's voice had held the crowd in it's sway so much that until the control faltered they had been incapable of reacting to what was going around them. This was going too far, he thought. If they made it out of this in one piece Chen was going to finally tell Baekhyun a thing or two about his supposed freedom. The customers nearest them began to panic and flee as another blaster shot went wide of it's mark. Chen tried to make a grab for the false contact as the man tried to make his own escape, but a familiar feeling confused him for a moment. As he watched the man called D.O. flee towards the kitchen, Chen whipped his head around trying to find where it was coming from. Out of the corner of his eye Chen watched Xiumin silently approach the cause of all the commotion and with a swift chop to the back of the head knock out the troublemaker. Chen pushed his way through the crowd towards where the other man had disappeared to and stopped suddenly as a space seemed to clear before him. On the other side of the space, different from the last time Chen had seen him, was a very familiar figure.

  
  


He wore glasses these days it seemed, but they didn't conceal those eyes that Chen knew so well, nor the disappointment in them. Almost reflexively Chen's head dropped as he saw that expression, but the man opposite him merely smiled sadly.

  
  


“Thought that was you the other day, Jongdae. I'd love to stay and chat, but I don't think your friends would like that too much,” Suho's eyes seemed to speak far more than his words did. Within those eyes were all the things he dared not say in this moment. How glad he was to see them alive, but also how sad to see them serving the Empire. “You used to know which side was the right one. If you remember, you'll be able to find me.”

  
  


The sound of his name from before knocked the breath out of Chen, and the one who had used it was gone before he could regain it. Had that really been Master Kim? Vader had said all other Jedi had been killed. It couldn't have been, but still he had called him Jongdae. Chen could feel his emotions swirl through his unsteady heart. As if from far away he could hear Baekhyun's voice along with others trying to reestablish order within the casino's walls, but he was too shaken to assist them.

Xiumin grabbed Chen by the arm, pulling them face to face. He was startled by the look of almost horrified surprise on Chen's face. “What's the matter?” He couldn't help but ask as he began dragging Chen through a side door that was almost hidden from view. The confusion of thoughts was almost visible to Xiumin as they ran swiftly down a server's corridor heading outside.

  
  


“Nothing, was just surprised that's all,” Chen's voice didn't ring quite right to his friend's ear, but Xiumin was willing to let it slide until they weren't trying to meet up with Baekhyun.

  
  


“I managed to get the datapad off the real contact after I knocked him out,” he explained as he checked the next intersection before leading the way to the backup location.

  
  


“That's all you are thinking about right now?” The disbelief in Chen's voice was clear. “Not a word about how Baekhyun lost control again?”

  
  


“What do you mean by that?” Xiumin asked distractedly as he kept an eye on their surroundings.

  
  


“That crowd didn't move, didn't even react when the first blaster shot went off. That's not normal. The panic that came later when Baekhyun's attention started to waver also wasn't right. It was too much. Like those people realized something was horribly wrong with them for not reacting sooner.”

  
  


Xiumin stopped in his tracks as what Chen was saying and what it implied hit him. This wasn't the first time that Baekhyun's abilities at what the Jedi called mind trick had done more than was needed. Usually whenever Baekhyun was really worried about something, his powers got a bit beyond his control. Even with that it had never gone quite this far, and the idea of what that kind of power could do was scary to say the least. “I'm sure it's not nearly as bad as you think, Jongdae. You always worry too much.” Xiu tried teasing the younger man. “You should have been named Mother Hen, the way you worry all the time.”

  
  


Chen's heart constricted painfully as Minseok used the name he had grown up with. It shocked him back to happier days with a melancholy feeling that nearly choked him. The fear of losing these two to darkness growing stronger in him after seeing Master Kim earlier. As the two waited for Baekhyun to arrive that fear swirled and grew stronger within Chen as Xiumin hummed softly to himself. Both their heads rose at the same time, eyes tracking the same spot as they felt Baek's approach. His presence in the force bright and wildly pulsing, his agitation clear.

  
  


“What happened Chen?” Baekhyun's voice held none of it's usual soothing tones as his anger flared wildly. One of the downsides to no longer practicing strict control seemed to be these flares of temper.

  
  


“What do you mean what happened? I followed the mission I was given.” Chen's retort was clipped and his tone seemed just as angry as the red head's.

  
  


“If that was true, then none of that would have happened! How did you not realize that was a false contact, that it was a setup!?”

  
  


“He gave the correct code and responded to the correct counter! What did you want me to do, use the force to strip his mind bare?” Chen's voice carried outrage at the mere suggestion that he do something like that.

  
  


“Well not going that far, but you could have-”

  
  


Before Baekhyun could finish that sentence Chen's hands clenched into fists. Bright light filled the darkened street as flickers of lightning began to form around Chen's hands, giving his features a sinister cast with each flash. Chen's eyes widened as he took in the power flowing around him. It was as if the dark side of the Force was winding tighter around him. He tried to push the power from him and it shot from his hands to ground into a nearby building, leaving a smoking hole in the wall. Looking at his two friends the hopelessness he had been feeling overwhelmed him. Dropping to his knees the power curling within him faded and disappeared.

  
  


Xiumin went to Chen's side and helped him stand. “We need to get out of here now.”

  
  


Baekhyun merely nodded and took the other arm to help guide Chen back to their craft so they could get off planet. He had a feeling this is what the Emperor foresaw, but the pained look on his friend's face was not what Baekhyun would have ever wished for.

  
  



End file.
